Chapter 1: 47 is introduced. He is an orphaned African American. For the early part of his life, he lives on the Corinthian Plantation's barn, caring for the horses. Big Mama Flore acts like a mother to him. The Master loathes 47, since 47's mother died giving birth to him, which lead to the death of his wife. While he is there he becomes attracted to Miss Eliose, the slave master's daughter. He has simple dreams, like serving as a house servant for Miss Eliose, and knows not of freedom.
Chapter 2: At age fourteen 47 is 'recruited' to the slave quarters. There, Pritchard, a crippled slave, is waiting there. Angry at 47's apparently easy early life, he brands him on his arm the number '47,'even though it is the head slave's job, Mud Albert. Champ, the strongest slave on the plantation, then arrives to 47's aid, and beats Pritchard to a pulp.
Chapter 3: After spending a night in the cramped, hot, unsanitary slave quarters, 47 is paired with a harsh woman slave, 84, to pick cotton with. Picking cotton is brutal work. It causes bleeding hands, watery eyes, and an aching back. But 47 still hopes for freedom.
Chapter 4: Three weeks pass. Ned Nigger, another slave, dies. While the service is going on, Mr. Pike, another slave owner, interrupts. He is looking for a runaway slave.
Chapter 5: As 47 leaves the funeral service he finds and becomes acquainted with Tall John, the runaway slave. He isn' t like any other slave 47 has met, and he talks about freedom and things that normal slaves wouldn't know about. He and 47 travel, somehow, to a faraway wilderness. When they return, the Master is waiting for them, with his six bloodhounds.
Chapter 6: Tall John suddenly changes personalities. He butters up to the master, who consequently takes him in as a slave. 47 begins to have a weird feeling about John; that he isn't like other slaves in more ways than one.
Chapter 7: Upon meeting John, many slaves think him to be a wisecracking fool. Albert warns him of what happens to slaves like that. John ignores him, and using a sleeping machine, sneaks out with 47. John tells 47 of the Great Mind, and that 'neither master nor nigger be.' He tells of his journey from beyond Africa, and that he was looking for 47, though he doesn't say why.
Chapter 8: John somehow healed 47's wounds from working in the fields. 47, John, and 84 are grouped together to pick cotton. All day, John sweet talks 84, giving her the name Tweenie.
Chapter 9: At the slave quarters, the other slaves think that John is John the Conqueror, a king from Africa come to free the slaves. In response, John says the 47 is John the Conqueror. The next day, Tweenie tells John of her two babies who were sold off after birth. John, feeling Tweenie's pain, weeps with her at the loss. John also fells pain when he and 47 pass the hanging tree, where slaves are hung.
Chapter 10: John is summoned to Master Tobias' house. On the way John tells 47 of the great promise and power 47 is, and how he, John, has searched for him for thousands of years.
Chapter 11: John and 47 arrive at the master's house. While waiting for John 47 talks with Big Mama about his experiences so far. When John returns he and 47 must look for herbs. Eliose is ill and will die if they don't treat her.
Chapter 12: Instead of looking for herbs John and 47 travel to a faraway field, where they spend the day. While there John tells 47 that he and him will have to save the Universe against the devil-like figure, Wall. While they talk it clouds over and rains. John cannot use his traveling powers without sunlight. They spend the night in the strawberry field.
Chapter 13: At dawn John shows 47 his strange and unusual homeland. He shows 47 the warlords the Calash, and his colony of people. To John's people, 47 is the Savior. He must do battle with Wall.
Chapter 14: Back in the field, 47 ponders what to do next; flee north and leave Eliose to die, or return and save her, but get punished for running away. 47 elects to return, and when they arrive John persuades Tobias to give them time to save Eliose They succeed, but Tobias all the same, whipping them and then putting them in the coffin-like Tomb.
Chapter 15: In the Tomb, John and 47 are barely alive; they are dying. John senses Wall's approach in Mr. Pike's body. He is looking for John's machine in order to destroy the Universe. At night, 84 arrives with food and water for them. In the morning, John is sentenced to Mr Stewart's killing Shack, and 47 gets whipped harshly. Mud Albert and Big Mama object to this, but Mama is knocked out and Mud is killed.
Chapter 16: 47 regains conscience in the slave quarters. Weak, he and Tweenie head to save John. At the shack, 47 hits Stewart right in the eye with a rock, Tweenie kills him with a club, and they escape.
Chapter 17: In the morning, Tweenie and 47 talk of John and the future; running away to free land. John has set up a lantern, which allows them not to be seen by others. They plan to leave the next day.
Chapter 18: In the morning, 47 is dying, so John gives 47 his cha. It gives him great speed and power, like what John has. 47 now wants to return to save his friends.
Chapter 19: They return to the plantation at night. Mama Flore is dying, Mud is dead. 47 goes to get the wagon from the barn when he encounters the zombie Mr. Stewart, resurrected by Wall. He and John drive him off, and then John tells 47 they must flee.
Chapter 20: 47 refuses to leave his friends. By then Stewart has gained support of other whites. John wakes the slave master, and 47 frees the slaves. Then the barn gets on fire.
Chapter 21: 47 and Champ rescue Mama Flore from the burning barn. 47 then saves Eloise and her half-sister from Stewart.
Chapter 22: Everyone meets at the hanging tree. After 47 distracts the white men, he returns to find everyone cured by John. They are free.
Chapter 23: Wall found John's Machine. John and 47 leave the group to fight Wall. John tells 47 about a marvelous machine, Queziastril, which led him to finding 47. However, the Calash destroyed it.
Chapter 24: They arrive at John's machine. Wall and Stewart are there. 47 fights Stewart while John races to the machine, but Wall gets the machine. John then causes the machine to self destruct. Wall and Stewart vanish.
Chapter 25: John dies. 47 returns to the group. They hide out for a while, during which 47 talks with john in the past via Queziastril. 47 studies John's yellow bag's contents, adn then he and the others escape and make it to Canada.
Chapter Summaries
Chapter 1: 47 is introduced. He is an orphaned African American. For the early part of his life, he lives on the Corinthian Plantation's barn, caring for the horses. Big Mama Flore acts like a mother to him. The Master loathes 47, since 47's mother died giving birth to him, which lead to the death of his wife. While he is there he becomes attracted to Miss Eliose, the slave master's daughter. He has simple dreams, like serving as a house servant for Miss Eliose, and knows not of freedom.Chapter 2: At age fourteen 47 is 'recruited' to the slave quarters. There, Pritchard, a crippled slave, is waiting there. Angry at 47's apparently easy early life, he brands him on his arm the number '47,'even though it is the head slave's job, Mud Albert. Champ, the strongest slave on the plantation, then arrives to 47's aid, and beats Pritchard to a pulp.
Chapter 3: After spending a night in the cramped, hot, unsanitary slave quarters, 47 is paired with a harsh woman slave, 84, to pick cotton with. Picking cotton is brutal work. It causes bleeding hands, watery eyes, and an aching back. But 47 still hopes for freedom.
Chapter 4: Three weeks pass. Ned Nigger, another slave, dies. While the service is going on, Mr. Pike, another slave owner, interrupts. He is looking for a runaway slave.
Chapter 5: As 47 leaves the funeral service he finds and becomes acquainted with Tall John, the runaway slave. He isn' t like any other slave 47 has met, and he talks about freedom and things that normal slaves wouldn't know about. He and 47 travel, somehow, to a faraway wilderness. When they return, the Master is waiting for them, with his six bloodhounds.
Chapter 6: Tall John suddenly changes personalities. He butters up to the master, who consequently takes him in as a slave. 47 begins to have a weird feeling about John; that he isn't like other slaves in more ways than one.
Chapter 7: Upon meeting John, many slaves think him to be a wisecracking fool. Albert warns him of what happens to slaves like that. John ignores him, and using a sleeping machine, sneaks out with 47. John tells 47 of the Great Mind, and that 'neither master nor nigger be.' He tells of his journey from beyond Africa, and that he was looking for 47, though he doesn't say why.
Chapter 8: John somehow healed 47's wounds from working in the fields. 47, John, and 84 are grouped together to pick cotton. All day, John sweet talks 84, giving her the name Tweenie.
Chapter 9: At the slave quarters, the other slaves think that John is John the Conqueror, a king from Africa come to free the slaves. In response, John says the 47 is John the Conqueror. The next day, Tweenie tells John of her two babies who were sold off after birth. John, feeling Tweenie's pain, weeps with her at the loss. John also fells pain when he and 47 pass the hanging tree, where slaves are hung.
Chapter 10: John is summoned to Master Tobias' house. On the way John tells 47 of the great promise and power 47 is, and how he, John, has searched for him for thousands of years.
Chapter 11: John and 47 arrive at the master's house. While waiting for John 47 talks with Big Mama about his experiences so far. When John returns he and 47 must look for herbs. Eliose is ill and will die if they don't treat her.
Chapter 12: Instead of looking for herbs John and 47 travel to a faraway field, where they spend the day. While there John tells 47 that he and him will have to save the Universe against the devil-like figure, Wall. While they talk it clouds over and rains. John cannot use his traveling powers without sunlight. They spend the night in the strawberry field.
Chapter 13: At dawn John shows 47 his strange and unusual homeland. He shows 47 the warlords the Calash, and his colony of people. To John's people, 47 is the Savior. He must do battle with Wall.
Chapter 14: Back in the field, 47 ponders what to do next; flee north and leave Eliose to die, or return and save her, but get punished for running away. 47 elects to return, and when they arrive John persuades Tobias to give them time to save Eliose They succeed, but Tobias all the same, whipping them and then putting them in the coffin-like Tomb.
Chapter 15: In the Tomb, John and 47 are barely alive; they are dying. John senses Wall's approach in Mr. Pike's body. He is looking for John's machine in order to destroy the Universe. At night, 84 arrives with food and water for them. In the morning, John is sentenced to Mr Stewart's killing Shack, and 47 gets whipped harshly. Mud Albert and Big Mama object to this, but Mama is knocked out and Mud is killed.
Chapter 16: 47 regains conscience in the slave quarters. Weak, he and Tweenie head to save John. At the shack, 47 hits Stewart right in the eye with a rock, Tweenie kills him with a club, and they escape.
Chapter 17: In the morning, Tweenie and 47 talk of John and the future; running away to free land. John has set up a lantern, which allows them not to be seen by others. They plan to leave the next day.
Chapter 18: In the morning, 47 is dying, so John gives 47 his cha. It gives him great speed and power, like what John has. 47 now wants to return to save his friends.
Chapter 19: They return to the plantation at night. Mama Flore is dying, Mud is dead. 47 goes to get the wagon from the barn when he encounters the zombie Mr. Stewart, resurrected by Wall. He and John drive him off, and then John tells 47 they must flee.
Chapter 20: 47 refuses to leave his friends. By then Stewart has gained support of other whites. John wakes the slave master, and 47 frees the slaves. Then the barn gets on fire.
Chapter 21: 47 and Champ rescue Mama Flore from the burning barn. 47 then saves Eloise and her half-sister from Stewart.
Chapter 22: Everyone meets at the hanging tree. After 47 distracts the white men, he returns to find everyone cured by John. They are free.
Chapter 23: Wall found John's Machine. John and 47 leave the group to fight Wall. John tells 47 about a marvelous machine, Queziastril, which led him to finding 47. However, the Calash destroyed it.
Chapter 24: They arrive at John's machine. Wall and Stewart are there. 47 fights Stewart while John races to the machine, but Wall gets the machine. John then causes the machine to self destruct. Wall and Stewart vanish.
Chapter 25: John dies. 47 returns to the group. They hide out for a while, during which 47 talks with john in the past via Queziastril. 47 studies John's yellow bag's contents, adn then he and the others escape and make it to Canada.